MOST razor sharp OUT OF BOX folder edge for under $200.00?

waterford said:
Thanks. I love blade forums, im learning so much about this hobby.
I guess I really should not be paying that much attention to OOB edge sharpness and focus more on fit,finish and ergonomics. I guess I can always
have it sharpened to razor sharp whenever I feel the need.
Im still leaning towards the Spyderco Sage 1 so far.

I just found out I am within driving distance to one of the largest knife shops in the northeast, Country Knifes, in the heart of beautiful Amish country, Lancaster
County PA..I will have to take a ride out there so I can actually touch and handle before I purchase.
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I live in Lancaster and never heard of that place! I briefly looked at their website and they are on the high side price wise. But it would be a great place to handle a wide variety of knives and buy online.
 
Scream,

Thats interesting that you were not aware of Country Knifes, 37 years in business. I spoke to the owner today on phone, nice guy and tells me he has customers that come from California to his shop! The shop is in Intercourse, Pa.
 
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 came amazingly sharp for me, I tried shaving and accidentally took all the hair off my forearm.
 
If you like balisongs then the kimura will without a doubt impress you with how sharp that blade is.
 
The big brands are good - Kershaw/ZT, Spyderco are both notable.

Buck has been the sharpest out of the box in my experience.

However, like was said above, the factory edge is just the beginning.

best

mqqn
 
I would say for me, it is a tie between Kershaw and Spyderco. Both usually come with excellent edges and grinds. Although I have had more grinds that were uneven or less sharp with Spyderco ( two knives ). I do know for a fact that my Kershaw Random Task 2 would whittle hair on parts of the edge from the factory. I think Kershaw seems overshadowed by Spyderco with out of the box sharpness. When I would say both are even.
 
bladeboss said:
Believe it or not, my Benchmade 551 Griptilian could shave my arm out of the box.
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Truth be told, a knife doesn't have to be all that sharp to shave hair... In fact, I would consider "shaving sharp" to be the absolute bare minimum in acceptable sharpness for carry. Then again, I am really not impressed by any factory edge, even when they do come reasonably sharp they are simply too coarse for my tastes. In my experience spyderco's factory edges have been consistently the sharpest, but even then it's kinda luck of the draw. The first surface contacted by even my sharpest knives when new was a sharpening stone. There simply are no production knife companies that put a mirror polished hair whittling edge on a knife. Learning to take care of it yourself will make for far more satisfying edges than some schmuck with a belt sander can achieve in any factory.
 
mkjellgren said:
Truth be told, a knife doesn't have to be all that sharp to shave hair... In fact, I would consider "shaving sharp" to be the absolute bare minimum in acceptable sharpness for carry. Then again, I am really not impressed by any factory edge, even when they do come reasonably sharp they are simply too coarse for my tastes. In my experience spyderco's factory edges have been consistently the sharpest, but even then it's kinda luck of the draw. The first surface contacted by even my sharpest knives when new was a sharpening stone. There simply are no production knife companies that put a mirror polished hair whittling edge on a knife. Learning to take care of it yourself will make for far more satisfying edges than some schmuck with a belt sander can achieve in any factory.
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If a knife from the factory can't push cut phonebook paper cleanly, it isn't sharp to me. I guess after achieving hair whittling edges, and tree topping ones. My standards have shifted higher. I use to never think they would haha.
 
my ffg vg-10 plain blade delica was the sharpest out of the box. i've sharpened it to a mirror polished 15degree per and all i can do is match the factory edge's hair wittling ability. couple of question regarding single-strand hair cutting:

i can only split them if i cut towards the root (where the edge snags against the scales.) can others split hair strands either way?

what's your experience with various types of hair? i know they say asian hair is thicker than caucasian but some people in my place have very thin baby-like hair. those are tough to cut. some hair strands are so thick they look like two strands twisted together. with the latter i can shave off curlies twice or even three times along a given length.

has anyone been able to tree top a hair strand held on one end, using a fast kinetic cut? i saw it only once in you tube. i can't do it with my delica, partly because i don't want to do a fast swipe very near my fingers.
 
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Hogue EX-01

Big Mike said:
Factory edges are irrelevant.


Once you learn how to get your knives scary sharp,

...how they come from the factory will be a moot point.





Big Mike
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Its true but the sharpest factory edge ive ever handled is the Hogue EX 01, it actually has a mirror polished edge right out of the box. Thick blade but slices like no other. While you can achieve this level of sharpness with a strop, technique and some skill, there is just something special about getting a fully functional edge direct from the manufacturer.
 
hank_rearden said:
i can only split them if i cut towards the root (where the edge snags against the scales.) can others split hair strands either way?

has anyone been able to tree top a hair strand held on one end, using a fast kinetic cut? i saw it only once in you tube. i can't do it with my delica, partly because i don't want to do a fast swipe very near my fingers.
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Yes and yes. All my knives easy tree top after each sharpening but obviously don't stay that way very long. CrimsonTideShooter (jdavis882), did a YouTube video on retention of a hair whittling edge. Turns out it only takes about 6 cuts through paper to dull an edge to the point where it will no longer whittle hair.
 
Combative Edge M1. Even thought bevel was ground with a semi-rough grit (maybe around 120 grit - just estimating), the cutting edge was polished to a very fine, face shaving edge. Nice design and DLC coating too!
 
LOL! that's why i don't cut paper with my spydeys anymore. whenever i get the urge to cut, i get a strand of hair and slice it. it's been a month since i sharpened and they still split hair.
 
Of the ones you indicated, Spyderco probably has the sharpest. Of all the knives I've used, however, the Cold Steel Voyagers are by far the sharpest and easiest to sharpen. I've seen many 440A knives, but some you can sharpen all day and they'll still be dull. Overall, it's a crappy steel, but when produced by Cold Steel, it's one of the sharpest steels I've seen. Heat treat is everything. Just got a Voyager yesterday and it's one of the absolute sharpest out of the box knives I've ever owned. How they do it is beyond me. I've heard of many people accidentally cutting themselves just taking the knife out of the box!

There's no doubt but what Spyderco is one of the best knives out there, but not horrendously sharp. One of the knives I carry most is a Native. Keeps an edge, but is hard to sharpen! I can get it sharp, don't get me wrong, but not hair-popping, bloodshot sharp. I like the Military model and also recommend that.
 
Spyderco Caly 3 ZDP-189 honed on white spydie stones as soon as I got it. After that it's scary to touch. Hard to beat great steel and a thin FFG!
 
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